Northbank Diaries 1: A Tale Of Three Suburbs
by Ognawk Jones
Summary: The first story in the 'Northbank Diaries' series. Takes place before the events of Esteemsters.
1. Part 1

_Disclaimer: Daria and all associated characters owned by MTV. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money or any other goods have been exchanged._

_Contains lyrics from the song 'Shirt On' by Splendora and dialogue from 'Esteemsters' by Glenn Eichler_

* * *

**NORTHBANK DIARIES  
By Ognawk  
**

**#1 - A Tale Of Three Suburbs**  
**Part 1**

* * *

**Lawndale, Maryland**

Somewhere in Lawndale, a radio alarm burst into life.

"...and you're listening to 'Mornings Rock' on AltLawndale FM, your local alternative music station. Coming up in the next hour, we've got some Splendora and Garbage for you, but up first it's Nirvana with.."

An arm came out from under the duvet and slapped the top of the radio a couple of times before it finally hit the snooze button. The peace didn't last long. About 10 minutes later, it started up again.

_Now the money's gone_  
_Mother went away..._

The hand came out from under the duvet again, trying to hit the off switch but managing to knock the radio off the bedside table to the floor, the music still blaring. The inhabitant of the bed threw the duvet off and grabbed the radio.

"Shut up, you evil bastard." She said, finally turning the radio off and placing it back on the table. She looked around the room bleary eyed and sighed. "Well, may as well get up now."

Jane Lane was a student at Lawndale High School, and lived in the Lane family home with her older brother Trent. The other members of the Lane family, her two older sisters and older brother, as well as their parents, were scattered all over the world for various reasons. "The Wandering Lanes", as she liked to refer to them.

After getting a shower and dressing in her favourite outfit of black v-neck t-shirt, shorts, leggings and boots with a red jacket over the top, Jane went across the hall to check on Trent. Predictably, he was sprawled out across the bed, flat on his stomach and still dressed in his clothes from the previous day. She smiled and shook her head. _Bet he'll still be like that when I get home_, she thought to herself.

Jane slung her backpack over her shoulder and jogged down the stairs. Heading for the kitchen, she checked the cupboards for something for a quick breakfast, but there was nothing edible in them. She opened the fridge and took a swig from the pitcher of water inside before grabbing a tube of cookie dough, ripping the top off and closing the fridge. _Well, time for another glorious day at Lawndale High_, she thought as she headed out the door.

* * *

Coming out of her history class, Jane chuckled to herself. She wondered why her perpetually stressed History teacher, Mr DeMartino, even bothered to ask questions of Kevin, the school quarterback who was so stupid, he could probably freeze to death in an oven. His cheerleader girlfriend, Brittany, wasn't much better. She went through the halls of Lawndale High and made her way to her next destination for the day, self-esteem class.

Lawndale High's self-esteem class didn't purely consist of people who had low self-esteem, though. Jane was in there because she gave smart ass answers to the questions that school psychologist Mrs Manson gave to everyone when they started at the school. This was Janes fifth trip through the class, mainly because she felt special about being tagged with low self esteem.

"Esteem... a teen. They don't really rhyme, do they? The sounds don't quite mesh."

The class was taken by Mr O'Neill. He was an overly sensitive, 'new age' kind of man who was so soft, he made teddy bears sound threatening. He recited the same speech he'd memorized every time. Most of it made no sense, and Jane found herself mouthing the words to the speech along with him while hidden behind the book she'd decided to study during this go around of the class, 'Learning Calligraphy'.

He carried on "But we are here to begin realising your actuality, and when we do..."

Jane looked up from the paper she was writing on for the moment and smirked. _I wonder if he even knows what this garbage actually means,_ she thought, as she went back to her writing.

* * *

After getting home from school, Jane got changed ready to go for a run. She liked to run, and had done it since she was a kid when she would go running with her sister Penny. The TV in her bedroom was tuned into one of her favourite programs.

"She found the gold necklace that he was going to give to his mistress, so she gave it to him... for dinner! 'All That Fritters' tonight on Sick, Sad World!"

She turned the TV off and headed out of the house, going for a long run around the area. As she made her way, she nodded to a few familiar faces while her music blared through her headphones.

As she got back home, she noticed one of the neighbours in their front yard. Mr Rivers was a portly man that Jane estimated was probably in his mid 50s. He was bald, save for a ring of white hair, and he'd just moved into the area recently with his wife. He flagged Jane down as she approached and she slowed down and took her headphones off.

"Hey, Mr Rivers." She said, panting slightly from the run.

"Good evening, Jane." He replied, "Good run?"

"Yeah, not bad. Did you need something from me?"

"I just wanted to know what your parents do. I don't recall seeing them around since we moved in."

"Well, let's see," Jane said as she tried to remember where they were this time, "They went to a job in Iceland a few weeks ago."

"I see," Mr Rivers said, "Any idea when they're back?"

"A couple of months, I guess," Jane responded, "Dad said it's paying quite well. All their international jobs pay better than the domestic ones."

"Oh, so this isn't the first time they've been away?" he enquired.

Jane stiffened at the tone of his voice, which seemed a little interrogative. _Well, I've already mentioned their international jobs, guess I can't take it back now,_ she thought.

"They travel sometimes, yes." Jane said, guardedly. "Listen, I want to get inside and shower. See you later Mr Rivers."

"Bye, Jane!" he replied as she made her way into the house. She closed the door and leaned back against it. _I wonder where he was going with that_, she thought to herself as she noticed Trent sat in the kitchen drinking some coffee.

"Hey Janey," Trent said as he noticed his younger sister come in.

"Yo, Trent." Jane replied as she walked into the kitchen, "You ever talked to that Rivers guy next door?"

"Hmm," Trent said, scratching his chin thought fully, "Not really, but I heard about him through the neighbours. He's not too popular."

"Why would that be?" Jane asked, as she grabbed a bag of chips from one of the cupboards.

"They say he has a tendency to stick his nose in where it doesn't belong." Trent answered.

Jane paused and had a sudden look of worry on her face. "Damn. He was asking about where our parents were."

"I wouldn't worry about it, Janey," Trent replied, "It seems he's more nosey than anything else."

"I hope so." Jane said as she left the room and went to get her shower.


	2. Part 2

_Disclaimer: Daria, Beavis & Butt-Head and all associated characters owned by MTV. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money or any other goods have been exchanged._

_Contains dialogue from the Beavis And Butt-Head episode 'Babes R Us'_

* * *

**NORTHBANK DIARIES  
By Ognawk  
**

**#1 - A Tale Of Three Suburbs**  
**Part 2  
**

* * *

**Highland, Texas**

It was a relatively cool day in Highland, and Daria Morgendorffer had decided to take advantage of it to go for a long walk, mainly to get out of the house while her mother was glued to the phone on a work related call, as per usual. She was dressed in an olive coloured t-shirt, and orange skirt and brown boots with a beige jacket over the top.

The neighbourhood was fairly quiet today, which Daria enjoyed as it gave her time to think. _God, why do we have to live in this hell hole? I wish we could just move somewhere nice, or at least somewhere less crappy._ As she turned down an all too familiar street, her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of two people seemingly beating each other up.

She sighed and walked in the direction of the noise. As she suspected, it was the town idiots Beavis and Butt-head, wearing bikinis and fighting in a puddle of mud. _I don't even want to know_, she thought. As she got closer, Butt-head was slamming Beavis' face directly into the mud.

"What are you guys doing?" she asked. _Nice going, mouth_, she thought.

The two moronic boys looked up at her and started chanting their nickname for her in unison. "Diarrhea, cha-cha-cha! Diarrhea, cha-cha-cha! Diarrhea, cha-cha-cha!"

"Get a life," she said as they laughed, "What exactly do you call this?"

"Huh huh huh, we're gonna be cool like the American Gladiators!" Butt-head replied.

"Huh huh, yeah, huh huh," Beavis added.

_I'd hope for you to get bludgeoned with pugil sticks_, she thought, _not that it would have any effect._

"What's with the bikini tops?" she asked. _Why do you encourage them?_

"Huh huh, huh huh, we're gonna get a _real_ woman down at Babes R Us," Butt-Head explained.

"Yeah! Huh huh!" Beavis added.

"Oh, they're gonna _looove_ you guys!" she said, as she walked away from them. The two of them stood up, and she heard Butt-head say "That was cool!" as she did so.

_I swear they get dumber_ every day, Daria thought as she made her way back home.

* * *

As Daria walked up the path of her home and went to open the door, it suddenly flew open and her sister Quinn was there, dressed in a yellow top and denim skirt, with her long, red hair tied back in a ponytail.

"Bye! I'm off on my date!" she shouted back into the house as she turned around to see Daria in front of her.

"Did you just say you were going out on a date?" Daria asked her younger sibling.

"Well duh, you don't expect me to sit around here while Mom's making business calls, do you?"

"I guess not," Daria replied, "So, who're you going with this time?"

"I'm going with Jack, if you must know."

"Haven't you dated him a few times already?"

Quinn rolled her eyes. "I know these sort of things don't interest you, Daria, but there isn't exactly a huge number of guys worth dating in this town."

"For once, we're in total agreement," Daria replied.

"You know, you might be able to hang around someone better than that weirdo with the pistol if you actually paid attention to what you wore and put on some nice make up or something. Dress in a decent colour. Even some big, green jacket would be better than that... thing you always wear."

"Yeah, the 'weirdo with the pistol' is a bit strange, but he's a nice guy once you get to know him."

"Whatever. Look Daria, as much as I'd love to talk about your crazy boyfriend and your terrible taste in clothes, I'm going to be late for my date. Bye!"

"He's not my..." Before Daria could finish, Quinn was already gone. Daria sighed and made her way into the house. She went into the kitchen to get a soda and her mother, Helen, was on the phone, dressed casually in a blue t-shirt and yellow shorts with flat shoes. She seemed to be wrapping up her call.

"Yes, thank you Mr Vitale, I hope to hear from you soon. Goodbye!" she said as she hung up the phone and noticed her oldest daughter. "Hello sweetie! Did you have a nice walk?"

"As nice of a walk as can be expected in this dump," she replied, "Still, the mud wrestling was an interesting distraction."

"Mud wrestling?" Helen said, raising an eyebrow, "Let me guess, those two strange boys from school?"

"Who else?"

"I don't know what you see in them, Daria. Why can't you make some nice, normal friends?"

"Nice, normal people don't live in Highland," Daria responded, "But those two are entertaining in a horrible, flaming car crash kind of way."

Helen sighed and shook her head, picking up a stack of papers as she got up from the table.

"So, was the phone call important?" Daria asked, "It seemed to last a while."

"It was an interview with a law firm in a town called Lawndale," Helen answered, "It sounds very promising. I could get make partner within a couple of years."

Daria's mood brightened considerably upon hearing this. "You mean we could be moving from here?"

"Assuming I get the job, yes. I've looked into the area and the position, and on the money I'll be making, your Father could finally have the chance to quit his job and start up his own consulting firm like he's always dreamed of doing."

"And I'm sure running his own business won't be stressful at all."

"Daria," Helen said in an exasperated tone.

"I'm heading upstairs," Daria replied as she left the kitchen and went to her bedroom. She put her soda down on her desk and scanned the bookshelf above it, before picking out her favourite, a well worn copy of Black Beauty. As she opened it up, a rare smile came across her face.

_Maybe we'll finally leave this place._


	3. Part 3

_**DISCLAIMER:**__ Daria and associated characters are owned by MTV. This is for entertainment purposes only. No money or other goods have exchanged hands._

* * *

**NORTHBANK DIARIES  
By Ognawk  
**

**#1 - A Tale Of Three Suburbs  
_Part 3_**

* * *

**Lawndale, Maryland**

Jane was in school, sat on the grass during a break. She had a sketchpad in her hand, and was trying to come up with something to sketch to take her mind off her conversation with Mr. Winters.  
_  
Will he do anything? No, Trent said he's just nosey. Maybe he just wants to talk to my folks. They are new to the neighbourhood._

She was pretty relieved when Jodie Landon, resident model student, sat down on the grass next to her, interrupting her train of thought.

"Hey Jane, something on your mind?" Jodie asked.

"Nothing much. Just had a weird conversation with one of the new neighbours recently," Jane replied.

"Well, can I interest you in a ticket for the DJ-Faculty roller hockey game tonight?"

"The teachers are going to be playing against DJs?" Jane asked.

"Classic rock DJs. It could be fun."

Jane smirked. "You know, seeing DeMartino letting out some frustration on some DJs could be interesting. Count me in."

"Really?"

"Well, that and it gets me out of the house while my brother's band practices," Jane said, handing Jodie some money. She took the money and handed Jane a ticket before she could change her mind.

"Thanks!" Jodie said as she left.

Jane got back home from her usual post school run. As she entered the house, she saw Trent sat on the sofa in the lounge, fidgeting slightly.

"Yo, Trent, having sleep withdrawal symptoms again?" she asked.

Trent looked up at Jane. "That Mr. Rivers asked me some questions earlier."

_He's being nosey again_, Jane thought.

"So, what was he asking about?"

"He wanted to know about our food situation. He said we both look skinny."

Jane frowned. "So you tell him I'm a runner and you eat carefully."

"I did tell him," Trent replied as he stretched his arms up, "I'm not sure he believed me."

Jane looked uneasy. _I can see why it would look bad, but why is he bothering us?_

"So, when are the Three Amigos showing up?"

"They're due in half an hour, but Max is having problems with The Tank, so it might be a little later."

"Well, I'm going to a hockey game tonight, so try not to burn the place down while I'm gone," Jane said with a smirk as she headed upstairs for a shower.

In the Lawndale High gym, Jane sat alone in the upper area of the bleachers, half concentrating on the game and half thinking about what might happen with the neighbours. _People say he's just being nosey, but why is he taking such an interest in us? A 20-year old and a teenager, rail thin and living alone for months? I don't like this. I don't think he will either._

Jane turned her attention to the game, where Mr DeMartino was involved in a scuffle with a DJ simply known as 'Rock n' Roll Randy'. Suddenly, Randy body checked DeMartino and he fell to the floor, screaming and clutching his chest.

"Rock and roll, foreva!" Randy shouted as he circled DeMartino and took the puck away.

"Help... me...!" DeMartino said, as he lay on the ground, still clutching his chest.

An ambulance was called and soon pulled up outside the school, as the drivers attended to DeMartino. They carried him out of the gym as everyone in there followed, watching him get loaded into ambulance before being driven away.

"I hope he's alright," Jodie said as she stood next to Jane.

"Anyone who could put up with trying to teach Kevin and Brittany without going postal is a survivor," Jane said, "Well, that was interesting but I'm heading home. See you, Jodie."

As Jane approached the house, she noticed an unfamiliar car parked outside. She examined it for a moment before heading inside.

"Yo, Trent, I'm back!" she shouted as she entered. She noticed Trent sat at the kitchen table with a man in a suit sat with a stack of papers in front of him.

"Ah, you must be Jane," the man said, "I'm Paul Taylor, Child Services."

Jane froze when she heard that. _Child Services? Crap!_

"Could you have a seat, please?"

Jane nodded and slowly headed over to the table, sitting next to Trent, who had a worried expression on his face.

"Now, I've been led to believe that your parents have been away for a while. Is that correct, Jane?"

Jane nodded slowly, trying to figure out what was going to happen as Paul made some notes.

"Now, while your brother is technically an adult, he is also underemployed and it seems as though the two of you are not eating correctly, and the house looks to be in a state of disrepair. Basically, we don't think Trent is capable of looking after the two of you properly."

"So what does this mean?" Trent asked.

"Well, we're going to see if we can track down your parents. To all intents and purposes, Jane has legally been abandoned. Should we not be able to contact them, we'll have to see if any relatives would be willing to take you in. If not, then..."

There was a notable pause.

"Then, what?" Jane asked.

"Well, I'd rather not go into that before we have to do it, but you can't stay here," Paul said, as he packed his papers into his briefcase and stood up from the table, "Now I need to go and sort this paperwork out, but I'll be in touch as soon as we figure something out."

"OK," Trent said as Jane stared at the table.

"Thank you Trent, Jane," Paul replied as he made his way out of the house. After a moment's silence, Jane looked up, a worried expression on her face.

"What are we going to do, Trent?"

Trent rubbed his chin in thought. "I don't know Janey."

"I suppose it was a matter of time before something like this happened."

"Yeah, I guess."

Jane folded her arms on the table and rested her head on them. "We're screwed, Trent."


	4. Part 4

_**DISCLAIMER:**__ Daria and associated characters are owned by MTV. This is for entertainment purposes only. No money or other goods have exchanged hands._

* * *

_**Part 4**_

**Highland, Texas**

Daria walked the streets of Highland in a hopeful mood. There was a chance, although no guarantee, that she could finally be leaving Highland. As far as she was concerned, the town was full of people she didn't care to associate with, except if they were entertaining to her, like the two moronic boys in her class. Quinn was certainly right about the lack of dateable guys in town, but Daria wasn't really interested in dating anyway. Even if she was, the boys that _were_ dateable had pretty much all gone out with Quinn, which was a strike out in her book.

The heat was intense this afternoon, as she took a sip from the soda she'd bought at the local store. She walked over to a nearby bench and sat down in contemplation. As she finished her soda, a figure approached her.

"Hey, Daria," he said.

Daria looked up to notice the familiar sight of a guy with a goatee and buzz cut hair, dressed in a black jacket, white t-shirt and jeans. He sat next to her on the bench.

"Hey, Earl," she replied.

They sat there for a few moments in silence, watching people walking by.

"So, I heard you might be leaving this place," Earl said.

"Yeah, my Mom's had a job interview for a law firm in Lawndale. I won't lie, I'll be glad to leave this place," Daria replied.

Earl chuckled. "I'm not surprised. This place is real messed up, Daria. You're too good for Highland."

"Messed up is one way to describe it."

They sat in silence for a few more moments, Daria adjusting her glasses and Earl checking his coat to make sure his beloved gun was still there.

"I'm gonna miss you if you go, Daria. Wherever the hell Lawndale is, it can't be any worse than this place."

"Yeah, the school might have someone with half a brain in it."

Both of them chuckled. Earl then stood up.

"Well, see you around Daria," he said, as he walked off and she watched him.

* * *

Daria returned to her house to find her mother on the phone as usual. If it wasn't Quinn talking to one of her friends or potential dates, it was her mother talking about work. Her father, Jake was sat at on the sofa watching TV as Daria walked in.

"Hey, kiddo! How was your walk?" he asked.

"Fine, if you ignore the robbery at the convenience store along the way," Daria replied.

"That's great!" he said, "Um, your mother's on the phone with your cousin Erin."

"Erin? Did Aunt Rita kick her out?"

"Whatever it is, you know it's bad news," Jake said quietly as he switched on the TV and Daria sat down on one of the other chairs.

"Meet the man who makes statues out of macaroni! 'Eat Your Art Out', _tonight_ on Sick, Sad World!" blared the TV announcer.

Helen walked over and turned the TV off.

"Well, that's just awful, Erin. Yes, we'll try to be there if we can, but I'm waiting to hear back from a job in Maryland and we could be moving."

Helen put the phone down and groaned. "Well, that was Erin, she had some bad news."

Quinn bounded downstairs and towards the front door. "Big date, gotta go, bye!"

"Quinn, come in here for a moment, I have some news to tell everyone," Helen said.

"But mo-oooom! I have a date!"

"It'll only take a minute, Quinn, I'm sure he can wait."

Quinn sighed and dropped herself on the couch next to Jake.

"As I was saying, that was your cousin Erin. The man Rita was dating, Roger, died. He had an accident while skydiving and he fell on a cow," Helen explained.

"And then the Road Runner poked his tongue out and ran away to freedom," Daria quipped.

"Does this mean we have to go to the funeral?" Jake asked, clearly worried about another fight between the Barksdale sisters.

"I've told Erin we probably won't be able to go if I get that job in Lawndale, but we'll need to pick up some outfits for the girls just in case."

"That's good to know, gotta go, bye," Quinn said as she quickly jumped up off the sofa and headed out the door, Helen shaking her head.

* * *

A few days later, Daria was sat in her room, writing in her diary.

_I knew I shouldn't have got my hopes up. Mom didn't get the job in Lawndale, so we're stuck in this dump. Hopefully, a meteor will come down and wipe this place out. It'll be an improvement, at least. Quinn's been coping by burying herself in dates, as usual. Dad went on a rant about his boss, comparing him to a mini-Mussolini, and Mom's been working constantly. So, things are back to normal in the Morgendorffer household. Or what qualifies as normal._

Her concentration was broken by the sound of Helen shouting from upstairs.

"Daria! Quinn! Come down here, please."

Daria sighed, closed her diary and opened her door to see Quinn already making her way downstairs. She followed and the two of them saw Helen smiling in the living room and Jake say on the sofa.

"Should we be worried?" Quinn whispered to Daria.

"Very," Daria replied, as they walked in and sat down.

"I have some news. I know we were all disappointed I didn't get the job in Lawndale, but I received a phone call from a job interview I had with a firm in Michigan, and I got it!"

"You did?" Jake asked, suddenly perking up.

"Yes, Jakey. We need to finalise some details and then we'll be packed and on our way," Helen explained with a smile, "And Jake, I'll be earning enough to give you a chance to set up your own business, just like you've always wanted."

"Yes!" Jake exclaimed, jumping up and raising his arms in the air, "Jake Morgendorffer Consulting, here I come!"

"That's amazing, Mom!" Quinn said with a smile.

"Yeah, that's actually good news," Daria said sincerely.

Jake got up and kissed Helen. "Finally! I'll be my own boss! No damned dictator will be telling ol' Jake what to do anymore!"

With that, Quinn excitedly bounded up the stairs and Daria calmly followed. She went into her bedroom, closed the door behind her and allowed herself a rare broad smile.

_We're finally leaving!_


End file.
